Rendang Style Beef and time to catch up with myself…

Rendang Style Beef and time to catch up with myself…

It’s been quiet on the blog for a while. Spain was hectic and by the time we got back to England just over four weeks ago we made a conscious decision to take things a little more slowly for a while. Old favourites were made in the kitchen, lots of comforting chickpea stews and delicious bowls of Spanish style lentils.

There was time for me to relax a little finishing off my summer quilt. It will have to wait to be used until next year as it’s enormous but thin. Not warm enough for the cold winter weather that has moved in here on the English South Coast.

Totally hand made, Every. Single. Stitch. And I loved making it!

Then I moved on to making my first proper socks for Big Man to keep cosy in. Thanks to Evie at Pendle Stitches for sending me this great pattern.

I know the heel looks a bit odd, but it is a proper one, I promise! It’s just a dodgy photo.

And now, as we are one day away from December (some of my pals on the other side of the world are already into December!), I am allowing myself to tentatively think about Christmas menus. But we also have another very important celebration on 27th December. Best pal Ria’s birthday, and I have the honour of cooking a meal for a group of us. Nothing remotely Christmassy, so we’ve chosen a curry menu. A mix of different curries, some old favourites like Monkfish and Prawn curry. And a new one. A Rendang Style Beef Curry.

I say Rendang Style and not Beef Rendang as I don’t think the method of cooking it is entirely authentic. I’ve also been told that if the curry is saucy, it’s not a Rendang. So, a curry cooked differently, with plenty of sauce – but well worth the time it takes to prepare and the longish list of ingredients. I had a trial run with it and (she says humbly) it was amazing! Fantastic flavours, meat that melted in your mouth, second and third helpings and clean plates all round. I’ll post some of the other recipes in the coming week. Lemon and Cashew nut rice, potato and spinach curry and Keralan parathas to follow soon.

Ingredients (Recipe from Sainsbury’s Oct 2015 Magazine) Serves 6

1 piece of brisket or silverside about 1.7kg cut into bite sized cubes

Make the paste by blending all the ingredients in a food processor with about 50ml water to make it smooth. Add to the beef and marinate overnight in the fridge.

I used a slow cooker but this can also be done in the oven which you will need to preheat to 160C, (fan 140c) or gas 3. Otherwise preheat your slow cooker.

Heat the coconut or vegetable oil in a large pan or your casserole dish if it can go on the stove top. Add the cardamom, star anise, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, cloves and ground spices and stir fry until fragrant.

Add the beef and marinade, fry for a few minutes but you don’t need to brown. Then add the crumbled stock cube, coconut milk, tamarind paste, Thai fish sauce, lime leaves and lemongrass and bring to the boil.

Cover and transfer to the preheated oven for about 3 hours – I cooked mine in the slow cooker on low for about 8 hours. Return to the hob and simmer, uncovered until the sauce has thickened and reduced. When you are ready to serve, stir in the lime juice and garnish.

I made mine ahead and found that when it has chilled there was a layer of oil from the cooking which solidified and was easy to remove. Of course, you don’t need to do this!

We drank this with a delicious sauvignon blanc, but I think an ice cold beer would be great too.

This Rendang style dish looks absolutely fantastic! Love the look of the rice you served it with, too. No wonder plates were licked clean. 🙂 Your quilt is simply gorgeous, Tanya. A beautifully designed and executed piece worthy of being a family heirloom. Great job!

Thank you Betsy for your lvoely words. I was happy with this quilt and am looking forward to using it when the weather warms up again. The rice was wonderful – a meal in itself with lots of lovely deliate flavours from the spices, the lemon and the cashew nuts 🙂

That quilt is amazing – you could start a bespoke web business…
The rendang looks delicious and is making me think of Roti King. I’ve got the lentil dish for supper, cooked with a bunny from the Boqueria 🙂

Ooh I made lentils too the other night – love them so much! If I started a business I’d be a poor woman or I’d have to have very, very rich clients….each hand made quilt (king size) takes 3-4 months to make!

As someone already in December it’s pretty much the same as November Ms Chica ;). Your quilt is lust inspiring. It is the most beautiful thing that I have seen in December and to be honest, for quite some time. The work that you put into it is obvious and I bow to your sewing and cooking abilities. Hopefully life has been treating you well. Those socks are a personal quest of mine now. I have been hovering around the peripherals of “socks” for quite some time and despite finding some sterling crochet patterns for socks, I don’t think they cut the mustard. I think it is time to avail myself of a pattern, of a circular needle (a friend of mine makes 2 socks at a time using the same needles/circular needle. I have NO idea how she does it but she does!) or 4 needle variety to take my knit and purl abilities (severely limited) to the next level. Why stick with scarves when you can go whole hog MENTAL and make socks eh? I would waft over the heady bliss of Summer to you but here in Tassie it decided to rain (lovely scrumptious rain!) so I will waft you the scent of parched earth that has just had it’s first drink in a while. It’s not tropical paradise but the soil sure smells good. Love and hugs to you both and heres to 2016 being a bloody bonza one for us all 🙂

I too looked at crocheting some socks but they’re just not quite the same. I did a lot of looking at youtube before I embarked on the process which was helpful. Most folk said “don’t judge knitting socks by the first row” and they are so right. That first row is a demon, but once you’re past it, everything changes! Thank you for the waft of rain soaked earth – beautiful. All we have here right now is damp windy weather 😦

It will be summer again soon enough :). I hear you with the socks. Went to the thrift shop to buy the dogs some bags of toys for their Christmas boxes and they have a lot of packets of 4 needles just waiting to be relocated to Serendipity Farm so I really don’t have any excuse now do I? 😉

Love your quilt, Tanya, especially the bluebird design on the backing material. Exquisite. Congrats on the socks. i still have my Mum’s 4 sock needles but I can’t remember back the 50 years to whether I actually did anything with them. The neck of a polo-necked jumper was about my limit I think.

Methinks you will have a great time planning and prepping your curry feast! I have made Rendang [the Malaysian and not Indonesian version] every few weeks for some 30 years or more – not that healthy but awfully tasty 🙂 ! And, yes, it IS a totally dry curry! Therefore short ribs are the preferable meat to buy as they have a fatty component and stay succulent. Now of all the countries in the world and all the provinces where ‘curries’ are eaten I most of all love Kerala in SW India, the home of so many spices – you mention it re bread . . . every feast like this should have a big bowl of vegetable curry and methinks the Keralan ones are the very best in the world. You have the time, let your fingers go and discover . . some are most ‘party-like’. And yes, I also love your quilt: just have never had the time to move towards that discovery 🙂 All the best for both your Yule and party planning!!!

Ooh I love short ribs but we don’t get them too often here (hopefully around Christmas when lots of people are ordering big beef roasts!) I have been looking at some lovely Kerelan veggie dishes – oh they look so good! Thanks for the good wishes, we’re having fun planning menus 🙂

Look at your quilt – absolutely beautiful work of art I tell you and the socks – awesome! I have never made a quilt of knitted socks. You are so awesome.
What a pity I am so damn far away – would love to taste test the curries.
Have a beautiful day.
🙂 Mandy xo

Wow what a gorgeous meal and those peppers! This looks so full of flavor. Your quilt is amazing. So many talents. Those socks are kind of adorable. Lol. Enjoy the cooler weather under that lovely quilt.

Your quilt is absolutely wonderful. Beautiful fabrics and exquisite stitching. I’m so happy you love the sock pattern. The Material Lady is right…they are strangely addictive. Especially if Big Man decides he loves them. My hubby can’t be left on his own in a yarn shop anymore…he costs me a fortune! ;-D

Am just about to sew up (now I understand the Kitchener stitch!) the second sock and Big Man is alwready placing orders for more – this time he said could I mkae them longer in the leg to wear as “lounging around the house socks”! And as for the quilting – I have you to blame entirely for getting me hooked 🙂 Thank you !!

You quilt is one beautiful piece of work, Tanya. It is definitely heirloom quality. (Any openings among your heirs?) That beef rendang looks every bit as delicious as the quilt is beautiful. You may have been away from the blog for a spell but you sure know how to make an entrance when you return!

Thank you John – will have to see which “heirs” might be interested! Will definitely be making the curry for Ria’s birthday…but perhaps I’ll sneak a little portion out for quality control purposes before freezing the rest for the party!

Wow! That curry looks amazing!! I’m going to be honoured to eat it in fact I wish it was my birthday already, can’t wait to get Christmas over with so we can tuck in!! Xxxx PS. your quilting and sock making are none too shabby either 🙂

So in 2016 I turned 50. I was in Italy for my 21st, 30th and 40th. To keep this birthday tradition going I always knew I'd be in Italy for my 50! This blog starts with my 5 week adventure in Puglia but my love affair with Italy continues.....